TOS Review: Foundlings by Matthew Christian Harding

by bog bit

What do Lord McDougal, Fergus Leatherhead, Gimcrack, Thiery, and Susie all have in common? They happen to be the main characters, among others, in Foundlings by Matthew Christian Harding.Foundlings is the first book of two in Mr. Harding’s adventurous series The Peleg Chronicles.

The book was written to captivate an audience of the age of twelve years and beyond. I feel that any younger than that might not be able to appreciate what the author is trying to convey, as my daughter, who is ten was confused by the entire book.

As soon as we found out we would have the privilege of being able to review this book, we immediately went to the website and read the synopsis of this book. From the description we knew that it would be a Christian fantasy book. The book and its author claimed the book to have no magic, no humanism, and no evolution, which stayed true to the claim.

We were not really excited about the book as we have been reading non-stop this school year for our book club and we all felt like one more book would get in the way. However, we squeezed the book in and were pleasantly surprised, but each in our own way.

My oldest son and my middle son absolutely loved the book and we ordered the second book in the series. They begged me for the second book because the first book leaves you hanging. I personally do not like the fact that the book leaves you with unfinished business. I do not like the fact that in order to find out more you must purchase the next book. I feel a bit scammed by that because in most series books they wrap things up, yet leave the cliffhanger possibilities. Mr. Harding does not wrap things up but cuts you off.

My daughter did not like the book at all and I must admit that I was a bit put off by the book also. My daughter found the book to be too confusing and she chose to do other activities when it was time to read this book.

The author has a unique style of writing, that for my boys was great but for myself and my daughter was confusing and just hard to follow. The book finally comes together in the last few chapters, so that readers can understand all those intricate details but again you are cut off right at the end.

Overall the book presents a good message to readers. The author weaves the Lord and scripture into the book in a non-threatening way. Many times Christian books are loaded with scripture that is placed so awkwardly throughout the book it leaves readers wondering if they should have just picked up their Bible to read. The author weaves so many real life situations into the book even though it is set in a different time. Temptation, fear, believing false teachings, and so many more are found in the present day but the author gives his characters strength to fight against those and rely on the God of Noah.

I am not going to recommend this book and I am also not going to say the book isn’t worth reading. The book is good it just didn’t suit the style of writing I enjoy reading, however my boys thoroughly enjoyed it and begged for the next book. For those reasons I am going to remain neutral on my recommendations.

If you would like to order the book for yourself or a family member you can do so at the Zoe & Sozo Publishing website. The book is a modest $11.95 and is available in paperback. You can also request that the author sign the book for you and that is included in the price listed above.

It is hard to find good quality reading books these days and this book is a viable option for any family.

To read what my crew mates had to say about this book please visit The TOS Crew Blog. You will find a good mix of opinions on this book and be able to form your own based upon everyone’s review.

***I received this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion of the book as part of the TOS review crew. I received no other compensation. My experience is unique and yours will be different than mine.***